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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108523">Statement of Odelia Hale</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixel_the_enby/pseuds/pixel_the_enby'>pixel_the_enby</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Magnus Archives (Podcast)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Desolation Avatar, F/M, Fire, Gen, Original Statement (The Magnus Archives), Statement Fic (The Magnus Archives), The Desolation Fear Entity (The Magnus Archives), figured i'd post it here too, wrote this for an amino</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:34:19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,486</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29108523</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/pixel_the_enby/pseuds/pixel_the_enby</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Statement of Odelia Hale, regarding her relationship with Jonah Magnus and her fall to the Desolation.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elias Bouchard | Jonah Magnus/Original Character(s), Jonah Magnus/Original Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Statement of Odelia Hale</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>[CLICK]</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
So.. do I just start talking? </p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
You don't know how this works?</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
I'm not Jonah, Gertrude. I'm not all knowing.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
Hmh, I suppose that's true. Well, start with your name.</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Odelia. Odelia Hale.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
Statement of Odelia Hale, regarding-</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
What do you want me to talk about? My immortality? My fall to the Desolation? My relationship with Jonah? With the Lightless Flame, with Agnes? What would you like to know, dear Archivist?</p>
<p>[GERTRUDE SIGHS]</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
All of it. In order, please. Statement taken direct from subject, February 16th 2015.</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Alright.. hmh, where to start.. Well.. I've always been very destructive, ever since I was young. I'd destroy windows, mirrors, vases, set fires. Blamed it all on my clumsiness. Fire ended up truely fascinanting me. The pure destruction it could rain with just one spark. Maybe this fascination for fire came from my father's candle business. You see, my family isn't any you would've heard of. Hale; it was a common last name, still is, I think. We weren't poor but we weren't crazy rich either. It was just enough to get invited to fancy events like balls. It's how I met him; Jonah Magnus. A fascinanting man. He asked me to dance once at a ball. I remember it clear as day. He walked over to me – he was so confident in himself – and asked: „Would the lady care for a dance?“ He said it with such confidence in his voice; I was so keen to shatter it. For you see, I took joy in shattering the confidence of men who thought they could seduce me. Jonah, though.. Jonah was different. While yes, I would've loved to see his reaction to my rejection at the same time I yearned to know more about him. Now that I think about it, I'm sure it was his eyes. His golden eyes that drew me in. So I responded: „Who is asking?“ „Jonah Magnus“, He said, taking my hand and kissing it, „pleased to meet you, Miss.“ We ended up dancing and talking all evening. He was very well educated, much like myself, and very fascinated by the strange and macabre. When I had to leave, he said he'd be in touch and that he would like to see me again. I think my many letters to him are still somewhere in the Archives. I held every letter I recieved from him dear to my heart. And whenever we had the chance, we would meet. There was this cafe, we'd always meet there. Same time, same table. We'd talk about many, many things. One day, he told me of Robert Smirke; the architect, I'm certain you know who he is. Or was, I suppose. He had gathered a few of his associates to learn about these entities they called them 'The Fears'. I was utterly fascinated. I begged Jonah to introduce me to him for weeks. I grew bored of hearing what they discussed only second hand. I wanted to be there, hear what they said first hand, be part of the discussions. I think it took me a whole month until Jonah finally gave in and took me with him to one of their meetings. Apparently he had talked about me because Smirke greeted me with the words „So you must be the infamous Ms. Hale?“ I nodded, introducing myself to him and the other members of their... 'club', I suppose. Very curious men, all of them. It was then when I first heard of the Desolation. It was Rayner who told me about it. He had heard of my... fiery tendencies, so to speak. The fear of loss, of destruction, of pain. The fear of burning. I became fascinated with it. And slowly, members of the club started to fall to the fears. I can't exactly tell you who fell first or how. But my fall to the Desolation? I remember it very vividly. It wasn't too long after Jonah founded the Institue, it must've been 1824, so only 6 years later. I'm sure you've heard of the Great Fire of Edinburgh, yes? Well, it reached a library Jonah and I were currently visiting not long after it first started. We didn't notice the fire until it was too late. No.. not we. I didn't. I didn't notice the heat. Only when Jonah was calling out for me, I felt the heat creeping into the room. The moment I looked up to meet his eyes, the ceiling collapsed, leaving me trapped in the burning building. There was no way I could leave; I would burn to death. But as you can tell, I didn't. Instead, when the fire came close there was.. I'm still not sure how to describe it. It was the fire but it looked.. humanoid? Like a tall human. But made out of fire. If that makes sense? Anyways it.. it helped me get out. It removed the wood blocking my way and I was able to get out. I don't think I've ever seen Jonah that relieved before and I haven't since. I talked with Rayner about it, a lot. He was an avatar of the Dark, he should know how this works, was what I thought. He told me the Desolation had reached out to me. Whether or not I would except the offer was my own choice. With Jonah's fall to the Eye, I was the only one of the club that hadn't given herself to an entity yet. Well, except for Smirke. So.. to officially become an avatar of the Desolation, a sacrafice had to be made. </p>
<p>[LONG SILENCE]</p>
<p>They thought the fire in my family's house was an accident. That my father had simply forgotten to blow out the candles in his workshop. </p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
And that's also how you became immortal?</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Oh, no, God no. I only started looking into immortality when Jonah started talking about it. How death is the last and greatest fear.. I've never been afraid of death. When it will come for me, I will accept it with open arms. But I didn't want to leave him. Whatever it was that kept me from leaving him.. whether it's curiosity about what he would do with immortality or if it's.. the feelings I have for him, I cannot tell you. But I, once again, consulted Rayner on the matter. He told me Smirke had an artifact of the Desolation. A candle that was held by candlestick that looked like a hand. If lit by the fire of the Desolation, it would burn forever, giving the person who had lit it eternal life. Of course, to keep it from going out, you'd have to make sacrafices. But that was something I was already used to. So I asked Smirke for the candle. Even though he was opposed to all of us being avatars and in servitude of different fears, we – me and him – still often wrote to each other. So I paid him a visit, asking to see the candle. He did see through me rather quickly and told me that it wouldn't be worth it, the immortal life in exchange for the lives of innocents. I remember how I smiled at him and told him that was an exchange I was willing to make. He looked mortified. He just gave me the candle and told me to leave. I didn't hear from him ever again after. I get it, I do. I'm a monster and.. I think he was scared of me. That I'd hurt him. But he was my friend. I wouldn't hurt my friends. Either way, no matter. I lit the candle that night. Not long after Jonah attempted his ritual, I decided to hide the candle. It could still be put out by someone and I didn't want to risk anything. It's somewhere beneath the Institute now.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
Where is-</p>
<p>[GERTRUDE HISSES IN PAIN]</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Somewhere beneath the Institue. You don't need to know more.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
Fine. What about The Lightless Flame and Agnes?</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Honestly, there's not much to them from my perspective. When Agnes was about.. 18, 19? They asked me to teach her. I did, not for long though. She was a sweet girl. Shame that she's dead now.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
That's it?</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
That's it. I never cared much for The Lightless Flame. Or any cults, for that matter.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
What about Rayner and his cult?</p>
<p>[ODELIA SIGHS]</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
I don't talk with Maxwell a lot anymore. As I said. I don't care much for cults.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
I see.. and you've been by Magnus' side, all these years?</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Yes, all these years. Whenever there's something to take care of, he sends me. I also make a great bodyguard, according to him.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
I see, I see.. Well, thank you, Odelia, for your time.</p>
<p>ODELIA<br/>
Of course.</p>
<p>GERTRUDE<br/>
Statement ends.</p>
<p>[CLICK]</p>
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